Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Radcliffe, Tola Win NYC Half Marathon
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 17, 2009
Modified Aug 17, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 7
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 17, 2009
Modified Aug 17, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yesterday morning, Briton Paula Radcliffe won the women's NYC Half Marathon, with a time of 1:09:45—her first race since winning last year's NYC Marathon. Tadese Tola of Ethiopia won the men's race, finishing at 1:01:06. Radcliffe, who had bunion surgery in March and is considering running a marathon in Berlin this weekend, decided to run in the race at the last minute. She told the New York Road Runners, "I needed to blow out some racing cobwebs. I’m the first to admit that this is an unorthodox way to test myself for a marathon—running a half-marathon a week out."
David Lam wrote this blog post on the race, "I've watched Radcliffe on TV many times before, but I've never seen her compete in person (she won three of the five marathons I completed in NYC and London). Boy is she fast," and has photographs of her "zipping through Times Square." He added, "**In fact, she was so fast, she beat the R train I took from Times Square to the finish at Battery Park in Lower Manhattan. I arrived about 10 minutes after Radcliffe won the race...**That really puts her (and the other top finishers') incredible speed in perspective." Ethiopia's Mamitu Daska placed second in the women's race at 1:11:04 and Kenya's Catherine Ndereba was third in 1:11:56.
Tola, who won last year's men's race, "broke away from the pack early and ran nearly the entire race without seeing another competitor," according to the NY Times. He said, "It’s very hard to run by yourself"—South Africa's Hendrick Ramaala, who was running with Tola at the state, said, "We knew he was going to push us, and I took the risk, but he didn’t want my company." Morocco’s Ridouane Harroufi was second at 1:02:33, and American Ryan Hall finished third, with 1:02:35
Over 10,000 runners participated in the race, which started in Central Park, headed into Times Square and ended near Ground Zero. According to the NYRR, "Three women with New York ties placed in the top 10: Bizunesh Deba of Westchester Track Club (WTC, fifth, 1:13:17), Ilsa Paulson of WTC (sixth, 1:13:20), and New York native Lindsey Scherf (ninth, 1:14:56). Local men Stephen Chemlany of WTC (seventh, 1:04:10), Ketema Nigusse of West Side Runners (eighth, 1:04:13), and Worku Beyi of WTC (ninth, 1:04:28) also performed well."
Tagged
new york road runners club
nyc half-marathon
Paula Radcliffe
running
Times Square
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Retired NYPD detective charged with murder in George Washington Bridge shooting
Police say a Rockland County man was fatally shot during what appeared to be a road rage incident on Tuesday night.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 21, 2026 at 4:26 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 21, 2026 at 5:43 p.m. ET
NYPD officer faces disciplinary trial 10 years after killing Delrawn Small
Officer Wayne Isaacs will go on trial in January on a charge that he used improper force when he shot and killed Delrawn Small in East New York in July 2016.
By
Ben Feuerherd
News
NYPD officer faces disciplinary trial 10 years after killing Delrawn Small
Officer Wayne Isaacs will go on trial in January on a charge that he used improper force when he shot and killed Delrawn Small in East New York in July 2016.
By
Ben Feuerherd
NYC adult daycare operators charged with committing over $500K in Medicaid fraud
By
Caroline Lewis
Port Authority eyes $117M fix to Manhattan roadway where falling debris smashed cars
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Bronx couple starved their 3-year-old to death, indictment says
By
Catalina Gonella
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .